So good to see you!

A smile is the universal welcome. –Max Eastman


So tell me, one more time: what brings you here week after week? Or, as God asked Elijah, “What are you doing here?" With so many things calling out to you on a Sunday morning (including sleep), why do you choose to come here to worship?

We each have our reasons, each as individual as we are. For me, there are two things that bring me here more weeks than not:

Gratitude—and community.

Take a deep breath; focus on the way the air goes into your lungs, literally filling them with the gift of life. Every single thing, every breath, every laugh—every corn flake is the gift of our loving, gracious God.

And not only that: you, too, are a gift from God and to one another. We are created, not as lone souls, but as companions for one another—and for the Divine, as well. God takes tremendous pleasure in each one of his beloved children, and delights when we gather to worship together.

This week, we will borrow a bit from Native American spirituality as we practice gratitude for all we have been given.

Monday Give thanks for the beauty of the earth, the rainfall, waterfalls and oceans. Job 38:25-28

Tuesday Thank God for verdant plant life: for trees and beans, for berries and greens. Partake of the goodness of the garden. John 15:5-6

Wednesday Give thanks today for the beasts of the land, the birds of the air and fish in the sea. Take a moment to appreciate the diversity of Creation. Genesis 2:19-20

Thursday Praise and give thanks for the wind that cleanses the air and refreshes our tired bodies at day’s end. John 20:19-23

Friday Give thanks to the Creator for the sun, the moon, the stars and all that lies beyond our vision. Isaiah 40:21-22

Saturday Give thanks for one another: for parents, for those who teach and for yourself as learner. Matthew 18:1-5

Sunday Give thanks for the Divine Love that surrounds us, draws us together and makes us one in Spirit. 
1 Thessalonians 1:2-3


Simple people can be amazingly powerful when they are members one of another. As everyone knows, it is almost impossible to create a fire with one log, even if it is a sound one, while several poor logs may make an excellent fire if they stay together as they burn. –Elton Trueblood

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